6 garters for 10 dollars in paper

[infernalis]

It's not because "it's just a snake" it's because information is not readily known by the public.

-Mike

The hobby is growing, but due to entirely too many people who could care less, it will never hold a candle to dogs & cats.

Compound that by the people with irrational fears, uninformed/misinformed and well, you get the jist....

[Stefan-A]

could care less,

Could not care less.

[infernalis]

Could not care less.

Thank you

[ConcinusMan]

Reptile husbandry is in essence in it's infancy.

Horse pucky. I said the same thing nearly 30 years ago when UVA/UVB wasn't even in a herp keepers vocabulary. All we knew is lizards wouldn't live long term in captivity. We didn't know why. A lot has changed. I don't consider it to be in it's infancy any longer.

Everyone in the world can take care of a dog, they've been around for a long time as domesticated animal. Go up to random people on the street, I'd bet a large portion do not have any idea how to take care of a snake, but know how to take care of a dog.

If they don't know how to care for a reptile then they should get a dog.

It's not because "it's just a snake" it's because information is not readily known by the public.

All I had to do in the late 70's through the 90's was to take my lazy a.. self to a friggen library. The information was there. Now people don't even have to do that. There's much more information, better info, and it's easier to access than ever before. If one cannot find it, it's because he doesn't care enough to look for it. This is the sort of thing that prompted me to choose my current signature.

[Millinex]

Horse pucky. I said the same thing nearly 30 years ago when UVA/UVB wasn't even in a herp keepers vocabulary. All we knew is lizards wouldn't live long term in captivity.

Wrong, we have so much to learn about reptiles it isn't even remotely funny. We learn new things every day about herps, herps are new to the pet trade in comparison to most animals available.

We didn't know why. A lot has changed. I don't consider it to be in it's infancy any longer.

An opinion. I think it is frankly, considering most animals are not well known as pets. Especially garter snakes, which MOST PEOPLE DO NOT KEEP.

[quoteIf they don't know how to care for a reptile then they should get a dog.[/quote]
Because you never had to learn by experience right? Oh wait, you just admitted "lizards where dieing and you had no idea why". Man, you shoulda gotten a dog bro!

All I had to do in the late 70's through the 90's was to take my lazy a.. self to a friggen library. The information was there. Now people don't even have to do that.

The library also has books on opossum facts, you should check up on that.

There's much more information, better info, and it's easier to access than ever before. If one cannot find it, it's because he doesn't care enough to look for it. This is the sort of thing that prompted me to choose my current signature.

Maybe he didn't have internet? I know a ton of people who even in this day and age DO NOT have internet or access to such. The kid coulda asked at the local pet shop, and been given false info. Many people trust pet shops, why would he research farther if the pet shop told him what to do? I used to do all sorts of stupid crap just because the shop told me to, including hot rocks. Man I'm a bad guy, shoulda done more research as a kid. I should have devoted a ton more time into a side hobby that wasn't my main focus at the time. I should have done so much better AS A KID.

He's a kid, let him be a kid, and learn like a kid, rather than assuming everyone is as devoted as those of us who are neck deep into the hobby.

-Mike

[Sonya610]

This conversation and the arguments put forth remind me of a disturbing article in the local newspaper. An elderly man was charged with animal cruelty after he beat puppies to death with a hammer.

He claimed the puppies were sick and he was "putting them out of their misery". When the story broke a few people posted comments in support of the old guy, they said in the old days it was common to "put dogs down" in that way and there is no reason he should be charged.

Others pointed out he could have simply called animal control to come get the puppies; his defenders said the old guy probably didn't know that service was available, and because the beating method was supposedly common 80 years ago (before people had guns?) it was unreasonable to expect an older guy to do things differently today.

This conversation reminds me of that.

[infernalis]

This conversation is 9 pages of going nowhere fast

[Sonya610]

This conversation is 9 pages of going nowhere fast

Twice I have sworn off posting in this thread; I am starting to think the comments are designed simply to provoke the ire of other posters.

[d_virginiana]

An elderly man was charged with animal cruelty after he beat puppies to death with a hammer... This conversation reminds me of that.

If the kid in question had been bashing his snakes' heads in with a hammer because they weren't thriving instead of feeding them the wrong type of food, I'd have to totally agree with you.

Along that line, here's an incident that ended up in our local paper (we also knew the owner of the dogs personally). This woman had several pommeranians and had taken them to the vet for their shots and checkup. The vet thought that the dogs had too many fleas and, since the woman said she didn't have the money at the time to buy flea medication, the vet waited until she left the office and called animal control on her. Later that week, she was charged, the dogs taken from her home, and she was prohibited from owning any more dogs for the next few years.
First, if you have large numbers of dogs and live in the south, you are probably aware of how difficult it is to keep fleas down in the summer; we medicate ours and STILL end up with some pretty god-awful infestations.
Second, this woman slept in the bed with her dogs. She also had fleas, and no one was condemning her house as unfit for human habitation. She really loved those animals and was totally traumatized when they were taken away.
Third, the dogs ended up getting euthanized. Personally, I think they were better off with the fleas.

If all you heard was "Woman charged for refusing to give dogs proper medical care" this story would sound a heck of a lot different.

The library also has books on opossum facts, you should check up on that.

This is actually really amusing, because in trying to rehab injured ones in the past, I went by the library when none of the internet sources seemed legit. Those books actually tell you that a staple diet of catfood is appropriate; this will give them MBD and cause an agonizing death due to steady loss of bone mass. Really illustrates how easy it can be to get terrible info from a seemingly trustworthy source..

[Sonya610]

Along that line, here's an incident that ended up in our local paper (we also knew the owner of the dogs personally).

Please post a link to the story or the owners name (since this was public record).